York, PA - When it comes to Penn State, one junior college quarterback's "11th hour change of heart" could well be another's gain.

Head coach and quarterback tutor Bill O'Brien somewhat surprisingly lost out on top JUCO quarterback Jake Waters on Thursday. Waters picked Kansas State on the podium after telling Penn State coaches he was leaning toward them only a couple of days before.

So now?

It appears that the Nittany Lions are simply going hard after their second choice -- California quarterback Tyler Ferguson from the College of the Sequoias in Visalia.

Waters was a two-year JUCO star who led Iowa Western to a national title this season by putting up staggering passing numbers.

He would have had three years to play two at Penn State.

Now, the attention is on Ferguson, who quickly backed out of a verbal commitment to Houston after learning that Penn State was still interested. He plans to take a recruiting visit to State College this weekend. However, an ESPN report stated Ferguson will make a decision Friday.

He would have four years to play three at Penn State.

"It was just complete shock that Jake Waters chose Kansas State," said Greg Pickel of Scout.com. "Kansas State's 11th-hour visit was a huge, huge part in his recruitment. Two of his teammates choosing Kansas State played into it as well.

"The last word in recruiting often is the final word. If Bill O'Brien had the last visit, Jake Waters probably would be coming to Penn State."

Nonetheless, the Lions still desperately need a quarterback to compete with sophomore-to-be Steven Bench in spring practice. Highly touted Virginia schoolboy QB Christian Hackenberg will not arrive in State College until the summer, and the staff would like the option of redshirting him.

Until then, Bench -- and now, possibly Ferguson -- would be the only scholarship quarterbacks on the roster.

"The motto of the season has been, 'next man up,'" Pickel said. "This just flows into that. No doubt, they need someone else to compete with Steven Bench.

"It's not about not trusting (Bench). You can't go into spring and then the summer with one scholarship guy on the roster."

As far as the chances of the landing Ferguson?

"I'd be shocked if he did not chose Penn State," Pickel said.

To compare the two junior college QBs, Waters is more experienced and more polished. Ferguson is taller (6-foot-4 to 6-2) and might have a stronger arm to throw a better deep ball.

Both are pro-style pocket passers without much need to run, which seems to be O'Brien's preference.

"Ferguson has a release-point issue (with his throwing motion)," Pickel said. "Those type of things can be fixed, but Jake Waters would be coming in without those issues.

"Both are high I.Q. guys. They can sit back and read a defense."

Ferguson, who is from Bakersfield, Calif., reportedly was in the midst of a strong senior season two years ago before breaking his collarbone. That pushed college recruiters away.

Without any significant offers, he chose the junior college route for this past season.

Because of enrolling next month, Ferguson's scholarship would count against 2012 recruiting and would fill that class. Penn State has two slots still available for the 2013 class, which should be finalized the first Wednesday in February.